Iuliia Mendel on the Russian invasion, Ukraine's president, and the latest counteroffensive

As the war in Ukraine stretches past the 200-day mark, a massive counteroffensive has put Russia on its heels. Ukraine says it has retaken thousands of square miles of land while the Russian army is pulling back its troops. Putin’s forces responded by attacking a Ukrainian power station causing widespread outages.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent a strong message to Putin during this tense moment, saying, “Cold, hunger, darkness and thirst are not as frightening and deadly for us as your friendship and brotherhood. But history will put everything in its place. And we will be with gas, light, water and food — and without you.”

A recent poll found that 91 percent of Ukrainians approve of President Zelenskyy’s performance during the war. But how did the political newcomer and former comedian become the wartime leader he is today?

We talk about the Ukrainian president with his former press secretary, Iuliia Mendel, and get the latest on the Ukrainian efforts to take back its territory.